Modern motor vehicles are equipped with occupant impact protection systems. Various types of such systems are presently in use, including so-called active devices such as manually deployed seat belts, and passive restraint systems, such as inflatable air-bags, side curtains, etc. Even when passive restraints are provided, occupants of passenger motor vehicles are provided with an actively deployed seat belt system, typically involving a lap and shoulder belt combination. Seat belt webbing retractors mounted to the seat or body structure of the vehicle allow the seat belts to be extracted from and retracted into the retractors when they are being used, and stowed when not in use.
Motor vehicle manufacturers are constantly striving to enhance the comfort and convenience afforded for vehicles occupants, as well as improving the esthetics of the motor vehicle interior. Various designs of seat belt assemblies are used, but generally they use a buckle positioned to the “bight” area or crease between the seat cushion and seat back. The lap and shoulder belt latch plate is fastened to the buckle when the belts are worn. In many designs, the buckle is attached to a short length of seat belt webbing. Unfortunately, buckles mounted in this manner often become lost under the seat cushion and inaccessible or difficult to access by the seat occupants. Other designs mount the buckle to rigid or semi-rigid stalks, such as plastic coated cables causing the buckle to be held in an upward protruding position. Although such designs provide buckle accessibility, the buckles may become an obstruction when not being used by an occupant, and their positioning negatively affects the esthetics of the vehicle interior.
To address the shortcomings of prior art buckle mounting systems mentioned above, more recent generations of designs incorporate a buckle which is mounted to a hinge for pivoting motion. These designs are especially prevalent for second and third row occupant seat applications. In one example of such applications, when the seat belt latch plate is not attached to the buckle, the buckle lies in a folded position under the influence of a spring to lie within a pocket formed in the seat cushion. The buckle may be grasped by the user and rotated to an upward position within a range of pivoted positions where it is positioned to receive the latch plate. When the latch plate is disengaged from the buckle, the seat belt buckle recedes under the influence of a torsion spring into its stowed position in the pocket. This provides a trim and orderly appearance of the buckles when the seat is unoccupied.
In other applications, a pivoting buckle assembly is used which is biased to an upward pivoted position to receive the latch plate (use position). The pivoting movement in such applications may be provided to accommodate folding seat backs or for other reasons. For use in folding seat back applications, the folding of a seat component may act on the pivoting buckle causing it to be folded toward a flat condition.
The previously mentioned pivoting buckle assemblies are known in the prior art. Although they operate successfully, difficulties are encountered in mounting these devices during the assembly of the vehicle. In the position of the buckle established by the influence of a torsion spring, the mounting aperture and mounting fastener for the buckle mounting plate may not be readily accessed. In such instances, the assembly operator must pivot the buckle assembly against the torsion spring tension in order to gain access to the mounting fastener and aperture. This complicates the assembly process.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need in the art to provide a pivotable buckle assembly for automotive restraint systems which can be maintained in a mounting position for convenient access for mounting features, yet can be actuated or released to a normal usage condition in which it is biased to a desired position under the influence of the torsion spring. Preferably, the device for providing such retention in the mounting position should not incorporate additional components or generate broken pieces which could remain in the vehicle and become a source of later problems.